last time, 2009, generated over 130 tons of waste. we don't know what's gonna happen this time because it hasn't happened. this is my moment earlier. my high school idol, cyndi lauper, was here and i got a picture with her. do we have the picture? there it is. i am a happy man now. and we can start the top of the show. hello, everyone it is 5 p.m. on the east coast, 2 p.m. on the west coast, i am don lemon. i am live in washington, d.c., very special coverage of president barack obama's inauguration. thank you so much for joining us on this historic weekend. worship was a key part of the day for the first family today. president and mrs. obama attended services with their daughters at the metropolitan african methodist episcopal church.

they celebrated slain civil rights leader, reverend martin luther king jr. at one of the most historic churches in washington. and tomorrow is of course, the main event. some 800,000 people expected to pack the west front of the capitol to watch president obama publicly take his oath of office. the president has already started his second term, he took the oath earlier today in an intimate swearing-in ceremony in the blue room of the white house. i want you to take a look. >> please raise your right hand and repeat after me. >> i, barack hussein obama, do solemnly swear. >> that i will execute the office of president to the united states faithfully. >> that i will execute -- >> faithfully the office of president of the united states faithfully. >> and will to the best of my ability. >> and will to the best of my ability. >> preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. >> preserve, protect and defend

the constitution of the united states. >> so help you god? >> thank you, mr. chief justice. >> only a few people able to witness the brief ceremony administered by john roberts. vice president joe biden sworn in for a sernlgd term in office today. the ceremony took place this morning at the nave a.m. observatory, which is the vice president's official residence. >> that i take this obligation freely. >> that i take this obligation freely. >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. >> and that i will well and faithfully discharge. >> and i will well and faithfully discharge. >> the duties of the office on which i am about to enter. >> the duties of the office of which i'm about to enter. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations. >> thank you, your honor. [ applause ] >> the vice president will take the oath again tomorrow in a

public ceremony. and shortly before vice president biden was sworn into office, he and president obama honored our nation's fallen soldiers at arlington national cemetery, they laid a large wreath at the tomb of the unknown of. let's get to what is happening in washington, final inaugural preparations are under way. senior congressional correspondent dana bash is here with me. you talked to senator charles schumer. what is he saying today? >> it is very interesting. i was obviously -- that's building that i'm very familiar w i cover that building. i walk -- hi, everybody. >> hello. >> i walk the halls of that building in -- every single day. and to see the transformation as it happened was remarkable. people may not realize that it's the chair and ranking member of what's called the senate rules committee that are really in charge of making this happen and i talked to the chair, senator chuck schumer of new york. here's a little bit of what he told me about how the preparation has gone on.

>> you know, it started close to a year ago, we didn't know hot president would be. it is done in a barton way, lamar alexander and i and he is the vice chair and we do things as much as together as you can. you have to build a platform, 1600 people h the most coveted seats in america, any time. the number of seats. >> i can't imagine. >> just huge. >> you just saw the building of that platform. i will give you some fun facts. it took 3 1/2 months to build, 10,000 square feet that's how big it is t 22,000 pieces of plywood. and some other inaugural fun facts. 30,000 chairs are on the west front grounds are. >> wow. >> 23 miles of cabling for what we do up there which is broadcast. now this is where we divary little bit this our facts and figures, i will tell you, this is from the architect of the capitol what they supplied, 505 port a potties, 100 cubic yards

of mulch. >> the west front, they have been doing it since ronald reagan was the first to move it from the east frowned front to the west front, they have it down to the science now.d frontt front, they have it down to the science now. front to the west front, they have it down to the science now. >> pretty. >> that is where i usually walk into the office and i haven't been able to do that for the past 3 1/2 months. nice to get it back. >> now you're just bragging. >> come visit us any time. >> let's hang before i leave. if we have a minute. thank you, dana bash.

you know, much like super bowl weekend, there's something for everyone when it comes to the festivities during the inauguration weekend. at the top of the next hour, actress eva longoria hosts a salute to the president called latino inaugural 2013 in performance to the kennedy center. following that the red, white and blue ball and let freedom ring concert and even a hip-hop ball. rapper 2 chainz, r & b stars brandy you john legend and some of the many artists who are making their appearances there then at 8 p.m., the president and vice president will attend a candlelight reception at the national building museum. so make sure you stay tuned for that. cnn will cover that for you. talk more about the red, white and blue ball it kicks off at the warner theater in washington next hour. the party is in honor of our nation's soldiers and lots of military families are expected to be there. our brooke baldwin is there, too. brooke, washington is in party mode this weekend. what's the mood like there at the warner center?

>> reporter: hey, don. good to talk to you. yeah, the mood, not quite festive yet. we are still a little early. doesn't kick off for another couple hours, we are standing in front of the warner theater, as you point out, i got my red on, the heroes red, white and blue ball. inside, this whole thing is put on by this group called citizens helping heroes or chh. these guys got together in 2003, military vet trans, one's republican, swann democrat and in perfect d.c. fashion in a bipartisan way, they said they wanted to come together and help our men and women in uniform. so tonight, let's talk about the party. we will have republicans, we will have democrats. i'm talking house speaker john boehner. we will have congresswoman nancy pelosi. we will have congressman kevin mccarthy. we will have senator carl levin. on both sides of the aisle, they will be here honoring folks who will be coming who have been hand picked with the help of the dod and folks at the pentagon, wounded warriors, actually i was just talking to one of the organizers tonight, don. she told me one of the widows

from s.e.a.l. team 6 will be here tonight. so we will try to talk to her. and a couple of awards will be handed out. just quickly, we learned a number of the tuskegee airmen will be near attendance and perhaps perhaps, the big headliner, is lynyrd skynyrd, good old southern rock guys. they will be here presenting and introducing some of these tuskegee airmen. look out for that we will be here. we will bring you the party live from the warner theater, the red, white and blue ball. don lemon, you jealous? >> all right. oh, yes, of course i am. but you should be jealous because i'm going to the hip-hop ball as well. you have got your party shoes on, you are appropriately dressed. i got my dance shoes on, i'm going to be ready, we will be at dueling balls. >> awesome. >> thank you, brooke. i will see you later. you know, i have been doing my share of partying in washington, too. brooke has as well. these are pictures, take a look at our cnn team at the "washington post" ball last night.

i call them don's angels. a special delivery, the bible, once used by the late dr. martin luther king, flown from atlanta to d.c., hand delivered for tomorrow's ceremony. just how significant are the bibles used during inauguration ceremonies? and a story that weighs in. plus, predicting that the president's second-term poll slice fail. you won't believe the number of folks who say that. we are talking the left and the right. next. so...how'd it go? well, dad, i spent my childhood living with monks learning the art of dealmaking. you've mastered monkey-style kung fu? no. priceline is different now. you don't even have to bid. master hahn taught you all that?

oh, and he says to say (translated from cantonese) "you still owe him five bucks." your accent needs a little work. see lioutdoors, or in.ight. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit. ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you. ♪ ♪ hi dad. many years from now, when the subaru is theirs... hey. you missed a spot.

...i'll look back on this day and laugh. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. right.

most americans are fairly optimistic about the president's second term, at least the people behind us are and the crowd. but they do recognize that the country is more deeply divided than it was in the past over

major issues. now, get this. nearly, a quarter of the public, including you the majority of you republican, hope that obama's policies will fail. bring in cnn political con trick birts donna brazile and alex castellanos. donna, alex, this isn't the only negative poll. people hoping and thinking the president's poll slice fail what kind of a start is that to the second term? >> well, look, at this point, people -- we just came through a very contentious election. and there is still americans who perhaps are unhappy the selection of majority by the americans.

as you know, on many other issues, country is simply divided. we are divide aid long political lines, cultural lines, ethnic lines, you name the lines, we are divided upon them. i think more americans would like to see this president succeed on those big issue, getting this country back on its feet economically and the think the rest will follow. >> the poll shows it will not be an easy road for the republicans? >> not at all. republicans don't want president obama with the policies they have seen to succeed. they think the policies will hurt country. republicans don't want to do that. that's why republicans just voted against barack obama do they want a president to succeed? would they like to see obama headed in a different direction than he has been and make the country successful? yes. they don't want the country to fail. they don't want their president to fail. but these policies that they just voted against, i think republicans still don't think they are good for the country. this san opportunity for president obama to reach across the divide, the campaign is

over. is it? that is one of the big tests we're gonna see, does he still talk about rich versus poor? does he still divide the country? does he talk about well, social justice is still the big issue, not growth for everyone. is it one america against the other? >> let's talk more about that, because if we asked people what kind of president will president obama be in his second term? and this is what they said irk 20% said obama will be outstanding, 34% said above average. 12% said below average and 29% said poor. so what can the president do to boost those approval? >> that is still 54% of the american people. he won with 53% of the vote. many republicans wanted him to be a one-term president but now that he has a second term, i think it's time to put aside just the -- that we see in politics today and focus on the big issues. the president reaching out. he will continue to reach out. but the republicans also will have to meet him halfway. a reason why we have the big

stretch of the mall, the capitol and the white house them should come together. you know what, no time to do it than right now the beginning of the second term with the president. >> alex? >> he's tough hand, don. the three things that produce really failures of second terms, wars, bad economies and corruption. and in washington, core run suggesti -- corruption is a dangerous thing, you are arrogant, been around too long, you drink that potomac water that can happen to anyone. the world is unraveling in front of us, the economy still in tough shape. president obama has a tough hand of cards to play here. >> congress is as popular as a root canal. only 7% of the american people have approvehood of congress. i think this president is going to get off to a great start tomorrow. congratulations, barack obama, the people are very excited to be here in washington, d.c. >> congratulations. on that we agree. >> the picture of diversity up here now. let's talk about diversity. the president has got an a lot of criticism for his senior cabinet picks, right?

appears to be all white men here, senior adviser, valerie jarrett, an african-american woman, said this to cnn earlier today. let's take a listen. >> his cabinet, when he is finished, and he is far from finished, will have diversity, including women, including people of color. he believes makes his best decisions when he is surrounded by people who have different perspectives and give him their best ideas. and so, one picture does not speak 1,000 words in this instance. i spent a lot of time in the oval office and i am nee there with a great number of women who he listens to and whose counsel and advice he trusts greatly. >> you know, i have to admit, i know most of the people inside the white house, not all of them, but that picture really did a disservice to this administration and this president, who i believe is committed to diversity. i'm vice chair of the party, last time i checked, i had to check a few boxes on the list. our chair of the party is a woman there are women in his cabinet. >> talking about senior cabinet

members. there's no question that hillary clinton -- >> when you look at that picture what are you supposed to believe, that picture or your own lying eyes? >> he is not finished filling up his cabinet. tend of the day, i want to see the whole picture, i don't want to see parts of it the parts that we are focusing on, because he hasn't finished all of his cabinet selections. >> i think very hard to criticize this president on diverts because he is diversity. he is the first black president of the united states and what -- i know -- >> hear people say that, but the first african-american president of the united states doesn't understand diversity and doesn't -- then who is going to get it? i think he gets off ease which is this. i think that people let him off the hook with this. i honestly do >> the country -- i think one of the things got him re-elected is this country is a good country full of good people who understand that we have made progress in racial relagts shs this country. and they didn't want to pull that thread out of the american sweater. i think he gets a a lot of credit for that and he should.

now, the old boys club in washington is still alive and kicking and -- >> yeah. >> you said he is not finished, a second term? >> absolutely. >> let's see. let's see. that cabinet exlooks a lot like america, like a lot of fortune 500 companies and a lot of big companies in america and we all need look at that, not just the administration, but ourselves as well. >> lit me just tell you this, we are still pushing for more diversity, more inclusion, but this president is a champion of diversity and i'm proud -- >> you can sit at that cabinet table. >> thank you. maybe you too alex. looking at you without that mustache. thank you very much, guys. forget all the politics for a second. this weekend is also about se

celebrations. ♪ somebody say oh! >> up next, a front row seat to one of the hottest parties around, the kids' inaugural ball. stress sweat. it can happen any time, to anyone! stress sweat is different than ordinary sweat. it smells worse. get 4x the protection against stress sweat. introducing new secret clinical strength stress response scent. fiber one. uh, forgot jack's cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? um... try the number one! yeah, this is pretty good. [ male announcer ] over a third of a day's fiber. fiber one.

it has been one heck of an inauguration weekend, especially when it comes to music. we have heard some great music here live and you have seen it

on television. they have invited the best of the best of the artists to entertain thousands on this historic weekend in washington. why don't you have a look at usher, the second kids inaugural ball honoring the military and their families. ♪ >> mindless behavior also hit the stage, as did katy perry, you saw her a little bit ago and the kids inaugural choir, who rocked the stage. ♪ ♪ come together right now over me ♪

♪ >> you know, in the spirit of music, we are going to get a preview of what beyonce is going to do at the super bowl when she sings at the inaugural tomorrow. she is going to sing the national anthem at the inaugural tomorrow. you guys looking forward to beyonce tomorrow at the inaugural? what's your name? >> my name is barbara pickens. >> where are you from? >> gradiville, south carolina. >> how long have you been here? >> since yesterday. >> since yesterday? all right. listen, all at once, shout out where you guys are from. [ shouting ] >> did you get that, audience? they are from all over. okay. i will come down here. where are you from? >> this is phyllis kerns, i'm from greenville, south carolina. >> a lot of people from south carolina. >> where are you from? >> brooklyn, new york. >> brooklyn? i graduated brooklyn college. >> yay! >> where are you from, sir? >> right here. >> l.a.?

>> belize. >> belize? where are you from, young lady? >> i'm from oregon. >> how long have you been here? >> i have been here since august, i am here for an internship. >> has anybody -- did anybody come for 2009? you were here in 2009? >> i sure was. >> all the way from brooklyn. >> from brik brooklyn, new york. >> sfloet far. going down here, getting a little close. what but, young lady. where are you from? >> from china. >> did you come here just for this or are you living here? >> this is my fourth year here, international student. >> are you excited about the inauguration. >> really excited. >> a little chilly out here. >> doesn't matter. >> i can't yeah? >> good to see you. >> hello, cutie pie. >> hi. >> how old are you? >> 9. >> 9 years old. you are as cute as a button what grade? what grade are you? >> fourth. >> what is your name? >> maeze. >> nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you, too. >> thank you very much.

thank you very much. we have a lot more coming up here on cnn, so much, i don't remember, but we will be right back after the break. ♪ [ male announcer ] how do you turn an entrepreneur's dream... ♪ into a scooter that talks to the cloud? ♪ or turn 30-million artifacts... ♪ into a high-tech masterpiece? ♪ whatever your business challenge, dell has the technology and services to help you solve it. i got this snapshot thing from progressive, plugged it into my car, and got a discount just for being the good driver i've always been. i'm just out here, snap-shooting it forward. you don't want to have to pay for other people's bad driving, do you? no. with progressive snapshot, you don't have to. i'm going to snap it right now.

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cause c-max also beats prius v, with better mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid. hello, everyone it is about 5:30 p.m. on the east coast, 2:30 p.m. out west. i'm don lemon in washington and bringing you all the festivities of the president's inauguration.

the president was sworn in today a day before the public ceremony, fulfilling a constitutional obligation the president must be sworn in on january 20th. >> please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i, barack hussein obama, do solemnly swear. >> i, barack hussein obama, do solemnly swear. >> that i will faithfully execute. >> that i will faithfully execute. >> the office of president of the united states. >> the office of president of the united states. >> and will, to the best of moo ability. >> and will, to the best of my ability. >> preserve, protect and defend. >> preserve, protect and defend. >> the constitution of the united states. >> the constitution of the united states. >> so help you god? >> so help me god. >> congratulations mr. president. >> thank you, mr. chief justice. thank you so much. >> president obama will be the 17th to joint exclusive club of presidents who gave more than one inauguration speech, joining the ranks of washington, jefferson, lincoln and roosevelt.

the vice president was sworn in today at the naval observatory by justice sonia sotomayor with the family bible. >> that i take this obligation freely. >> that i take this obligation freely. >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. >> and that i will well and faithfully discharge. >> and i will well and faithfully discharge. >> the duties of the office on which i am about to enter. >> the duties of the office of which i'm about to enter. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations. >> thank you, your honor. >> the vice president will also take the oath again in a public ceremony. also in washington today, slain civil rights leader, reverend martin luther king jr. was honored during a wreath-laying ceremony, it happened at the king memorial here on the national mall. tomorrow's presidential inauguration coincides with the

day the nation celebrates dr. king's birthday. and when president obama takes the oath of office, he will use a bible that will belonged to dr. king. his daughter, bernice king, talked to our suzanne malveaux about that bible. >> mrs. obama will have the bible and pull it out for her husband to put his hand on. >> reporter: bernice king took the bible from the enclosed case at the king center to bring it to the president. she showed us its worn pages and her father's handwritten notes from 1954. >> i'm sure that this traveled with him as he left montgomery, 'cause i saw a monday date, he would leave on monday and fly back to boston. so he was studying and meditating. >> reporter: bernice king says the president's second term perhaps is even more important than the first. >> there's a lot of pain. >> absolutely. >> we went through a lot of tragedy last year, a lot of political divisiveness. and it's just time for that healing and reconciliation and

daddy's, you know, work represented that. >> reporter: king says she believes president obama in trying to reunite the country is striking the right tone. >> co-have after the election, said how you like me now? you know what i'm saying? it is hard. some people can be sore losers, that is just the real i the president sets the tone in the nation, if nobody else does. he is compassionate and dr. king was compassionate. and he is committed to the next generation. >> reporter: what does king's youngest think president obama should do next? >> right before he was assassinated, he was in memphis, tennessee, to bring attention to the work of the sanitation workers, those that were not receiving adequate wages and they were not being treated fairly and he was in the midst of planning this poor people's campaign. and i'd like to see more emphasis placed on poverty in our nation. >> reporter: king specifically singles out the african-american

and latino communities. >> i know there's always been a concern about the african-american community not feeling perhaps that the issues related to our community have been addressed effectively. and i think there's some room for improvement in that regard. >> reporter: asked her whether gay rights is the next civil rights battle. >> i don't like to -- to speak for him on issues that back then he didn't have an opportunity to speak on because then i'm injecting what he would do. i certainly think that my father, first and foremost, he saw everybody as important, r regardless of how you define yourself, whatever category you are in, your personhood and he felt that everybody desevered dignity and respect. >> reporter: king is encouraging folks to use her father's holiday and the inauguration as an occasion to serve. >> although we have come a long way, we still have to finish the

work of dr. king. >> reporter: suzanne malveaux, cnn. let's look now at this historical significance of the bible in presidential inauguration. for that we turn to ed ayers, he is back, president of the university of richmond and historian. thanks for joining me again here on cnn. you know, presidents have always taken the oath with a bible, and if not, who didn't? >> it did start with george washington. you might think it would continue. four presidents ha s havs have . one was john quincy adams, even though avenues devout christian, read the bible every day wanted to take the oath on a book of laws, to signal the distinction between church and state u >> four have not quincy adams on a book of laws? >> franklin pierce also on a book of law. partly we think because he lost his last child only a couple of months before the inauguration. his wife was in bereavement and he affirmed the oath rather than

swore to it which the constitution -- the next was theodore roosevelt. a long time and that's because he took office after the death of the president and he was in a hotel in buffalo and apparently, they didn't have gideons' bibles around. he was the next one. and so, you look at those, three the last is lbj, who, of course, after another assassination, they had a catholic missile that he took the oath on. scattered throughout american history. >> have presidents invoked religion in their addresses, always? >> every president has invoked god or a deity in general, but not very specifically. none has actually mentioned jesus christ, four have invoked christianity. also uneven. >> has religion become more or less important over time in inaugural addresses? >> looking into the subject, i'm

surprise s surprised to see the turning point came with fdr. first to have an invocation and benediction, the first to go to church on inauguration day. those things tradition nous are only as old as the 1930s and '40s. of t >> the significance of president obama using you dr. king's bible cannot be downplayed. >> we have seen the tradition with abraham lincoln and martin luther king. you think of dr. king's phrase, the moral arc of the universe is long but it dips toward justice. i think president obama is trying to to be part of that arc. >> thank you very much. good stuff, ed ayers. as i said, could i sit here around talk to you all day. thank you. appreciate it. >> my pleasure. president barack obama made history as you the first african-american president but this young student tells me, president obama won't be the only black president. how can this student be so sure? hear his investigation, next. [ dad ] find it?

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people from all walks of life, from all corners of the country are going to be watching president barack obama take the oath of office for the second time tomorrow. student president of clark atlanta university, tyler joshua green, will be one of them. he and 50 other students are riding a bus to washington right now. and i asked him what this day means to him. >> the fact that he has come in and opened up a door for others to be able do what he did and even greater and i think that that marks a great president and also a great leader. >> mm-hmm. as you have watched the president over the last four years, you've watched -- you know, you've watched him lead, you have watched him get some things through, health care, you've watched some of the

opposition. what are your thoughts over the last four years? >> i think that he talked about it in his book, "the audacity of hope" there's a stake that draws people together and far more impactful and there's a stake that drives people apart. i think throughout his presidency these last four years, he has absolutely been what i believe is that stake that has drawn so many cultures, races, genders together and that, again, is the mark of a phenomenal leader. >> that was student president of clark atlanta university, tyler joshua green. presidents obama and lincoln. were both men destined for great grateness? my next guest, deepak chopra, says the time you were born could determine your destiny. ♪ ♪

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you know, the movie "lincoln" is based in part on the book "team of rivals" by doris kerns goodwin, a story of how abraham lincoln worked with some of the most powerful rivals to abolish slavery and the end of the civil war. while the issues are different, the tensions between congress and the president are the same. i asked author deep pack chopra whether the president is destined for something in his own way. >> i think president obama is a machine of this time, the time is calling for social justice, economic justice, looking at our environment.

president obama represents hope, trust, stability and compassion. he's the right person for this time. it's no accident that the inaugural ceremony is tomorrow on martin luther king day. i just wonder if when martin luther king jr. said "i have a dream," did he have this vision? >> interesting. you said lincoln was the right man for the time. in your article, i don't have it in front of me, i think i'm paraphrasing it, you said lincoln was reviled and he was loved at the same time. i think many people would feel the same way about president obama now. >> yes. >> do you think people knew that about lincoln and do you think it's the same about president obama now? >> you know, whenever there's a move toward something that's new, that's not part of the old paradigm, there are reactionary forces. and those reactionary forces can revile the leader who wants to take us into the new longing the people are expressing. so, yes, we have a partisan

country now where we have these forces, progressive forces on the one side and extreme, ultra, ideological, reactionary forces. but to president obama's credit, he does not get drawn into the melodrama. if there's one thing i can say about him is that he stays sober. >> that was deepak chopra, author around inspirational speaker. life in the white house, how do first parents balance it all, from work to family to facebook? up next, the president reveals the one thing he worries about the most when it comes to his daughters. almost tastes like one of jack's cereals. fiber one. uh, forgot jack's cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? um... try the number one! yeah, this is pretty good. [ male announcer ] over a third of a day's fiber. fiber one.

being the first family is tough. they're always in the public eye. but the obamas make sure that despite all the attention, their daughters stay grounded. and the family spend as much time together as they can. white house correspondent brianna keilar has all the details for you. ♪ you cast a spell on me ♪ spell on me >> reporter: the last girls' night out of the first term. mrs. obama and her daughters, sasha and malia, attended the children's concert, an event put together at the request of the first lady for kids with parents in the military.

>> when i think about who we are, when i think about what makes america great, i think about all of you, our men and women in uniform, our military spouses, and our amazing military kids. >> reporter: working with military families, fighting childhood obesity, and mentoring at-risk kids in washington, d.c., were the signature causes of mrs. obama's first term in the white house. cnn has learned she has been working on a second-term agenda since december. and she may pick up a new cause, valerie jarrett, a top adviser to the president, is a longtime friend to the first couple. >> she's going to take on issues that she cares passionate will by. she wants to make sure her heart is in it and she can give it the energy it deserves. >> reporter: but the first lady's top priority is her family. >> at the end of the day, my most important title is still mom in chief.

my daughters are still the heart of my heart and the center of my world. >> reporter: living in the most famous house in the world, the obamas have tried to stay grounded. >> i always tell my friends that i still recognize them. they haven't become some other crazy kids. >> reporter: they have some help from the first lady's mother, marian robinson, who lives on the third floor of the white house, and they keep a daily routine. mrs. obama is up early, sometimes 4:30 a.m., letting bo out and hitting the gym before her daughters wake up. the president starts working out before she wraps up. the girls head off to class at washington's prestigious sidwell friends private school and the president walks to the oval office around 8:30. almost every night the family gathers for dinner together at 6:30 p.m. >> they're not the least bit interested in his day. they're interested in her day, and that's such a relief to have

those quality moments. >> reporter: the girls go to bed around 9:30. the president, a night owl, stays up working and reading, ki letting bo out one last time often before midnight. >> as many of you know, your president, he is handsome. >> reporter: the first couple carves out time for each other. >> got to keep the romance alive, even in the white house. >> reporter: that means dates and dinners out with friends like they did thursday for the first lady's birthday, visiting one of washington's top restaurants, cafe milano. they're notorious for being affectionate, puckering up for the jumbotron at a basketball game this summer. and this photo of them hugging put out by the obama campaign on election night is the most retweeted photo in history. >> i rarely step foot in the west wing.

in fact, people are shocked when they see me there. >> reporter: while mrs. obama mostly steers clear of policy debates -- ♪ keep on learning >> reporter: -- she was a huge asset to the president on the campaign trail last year. from the stump to late-night television. >> it's late! come on! let's go! get your shoes on! move it! up, up, up! it's time to vote! you can do it! >> okay. >> you can do it! >> i'm voting. >> out the door! and eat some carrots! >> reporter: but michelle obama says she's a part-time first lady and a full-time parent. normally dedicating only two to three days per week to official events. katie mccormack is a former top aide to the first lady. >> there might be some days that we would just do day trips, traveling around their school schedule so that she could get him out the door in the morning and be back in time for dinner. >> reporter: as parents, the obamas are very involved. this is president obama taking a moment out of his work day to bring sasha upstairs to the

residence. in the obama white house, there is structure and chores. sasha and maria are limited to two hours of tv per week, no social media. >> i worry about facebook right now only because, look, i know the folks at facebook, obviously they've revolutionized, you know, social networks, but, you know, malia because she's well known, i'm very keen on her protecting her privacy. she can make her own decisions obviously later as she gets older. but right now even just for security reasons, you know, she doesn't have a facebook page. dates, that's fine because she's -- she's got secret service protection. >> reporter: and malia also does her own laundry. >> i don't want her to be 15, 16 and be that kid that says, i've never done laundry before. i don't even want to -- i would cringe if she became that kid. >> sasha and malia, before our

very eyes, you're growing up to become two strong, smart, beautiful young women. >> reporter: the obamas have relished sharing their adventures with their kids, traveling to france and russia where they toured the kremlin and ate dinner above red square. to brazil, el salvador and chile and south africa where they met nelson mandela. extraordinary experiences but sometimes being an obama daughter is no different than being any other kid. your dad can still embarrass you. as the president did by dancing at this white house event and by busting moves from this catchy dance. ♪ ♪ gangnam style >> reporter: far from the cameras, of course, something he says he does just to get his daughters going. ♪ oppan christmas style >> and eat some carrots. you know, there's something for

everyone this inauguration weekend. at the top of the hour, actress eva longoria hosts a salute to the president called "latino inaugural 2013," in performance at the kennedy center. and following that, the red, white and blue ball and let freedom ring concert. there's even a hip-hop ball. rapper two change, brandy and john legend are some of the many artists making appearances. then at 8:00 p.m., the president and vice president will attend a hand candlelight vigil. that's it for me. waiting in the wings, aerin burnett and john king. she's going to class up the joint. he's going to stink up the joint. they're next. aww man. [ male announcer ] returns are easy with free pickup from the u.s. postal service. we'll even drop off boxes if you need them. visit usps.com pay, print, and have it picked up for free. any time of year.

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